Pavane for a Dead Princess
by Since feeling is first
Summary: That was all Kousei had needed. - Drabbles and shorts.
1. Pavane pour une infante défunte

Months earlier, he wouldn't even have wanted to see the notes on the page.

Now, months after the letter, he thought it appropriate.

Kousei remembered from his music history elective in high school that Ravel didn't even compose the piece for a dead princess. He just liked the sound of the words together.

That was all Kousei had needed. The dead princess would have enjoyed it as well.

Sitting at his old bedroom piano, his fingers resting on the keys, he could hear Kaori's violin begging to be set free. The mellow, haunting melody singing with mourning and joy at the same time.

He had cried, sure. At first, it was because he was sad she had been taken away, led to heaven by God.

Now he cried out of sheer happiness.

Her music, her raw emotion, was still reaching him.


	2. Watari

**A/N: Tsubaki narrates this.**

He loved chasing girls like Kousei loved jumping off the bridge, into the clear water. Once he got into it, he would do it over and over again.

But eventually, there would have to be a last time.

That last time came with Kaori Miyazono, a girl who told a lie.

Naturally, he was shocked when the news came. He didn't laugh, didn't cry over her coffin, didn't say anything. He kind of stared into space for a while.

To this day he has the picture they took together on his phone.

Normally, he would move on and forget about the girl he used to love, but... this was different.

He acted as if Kaori Miyazono was the only girl he ever loved.


	3. parenthesis

Tsubaki frostily gazed down at her homework and wondered if she would ever finish it. She would have liked to be blinded rather than stare out at the world with puffy, half-shut eyes.

Tsubaki thought of those reality TV shows where, after their elimination, the audience's favorite contestant is suddenly back on the show in the next episode.

Kaori would always be her audience favorite, but where was the one last chance? When would the next episode begin?

Or was it already over?

She remembered once thinking of Kaori's life compared to her violin playing. She breezed through everything, not caring how she appeared on the outisde, or how she sounded, or how she looked, or...

...or whom she loved more.

If Kousei's situation were dumped on Tsubaki she wouldn't be able to handle the amount of emotional stress. So how was Kousei able to do it? Was it just a "guy thing"? Did human males consist of metal skeletons and hearts? Anatomy class never went that far over the edge...

Some of Tsubaki's relatives had died, sure, but a close friend was different. A close friend, who you've bonded with over the years, disappears out of your life because God snapped his fingers?

Tsubaki bitterly threw herself back into her homework. Even though dumb poetry about spring and laughter didn't matter, it took her mind off death and leaving and hatred and -

\- hating Kaori? Was that possible?

No, never. She hadn't wished Kaori dead... or was that a bad choice of words?

Ever since Tsubaki invited Kousei on that double date, their lives had been nothing but trouble.

Even Watari's life, which involved sports and _self-image_ and winning.

Even Kousei's life, which involved emotionless greeting of friends and _walking into trees_ while deep in soliloquy.

Even Kaori's life, which involved health complication and missing tons of school and _violin playing_.

Even...

...even Tsubaki's life, involving... what exactly? Doing homework? Softball?

Tsubaki began to mentally list her activities over the past six months.

Involving eating lunch with Kaori at the bakery. Involving doing homework with Kaori and Kousei in the music room. Involving long beach walks with Kousei. Involving sitting with Kousei at the piano and just thinking. Involving standing with Kousei under a building while the rain pours your cares away.

Okay, so her mindset was largely Kousei-oriented, but so was Kaori's, or so it seemed. After the letter, the stupid love letter Kaori wrote, all Tsubaki could think about was the pseudo-betrayal Kaori had dumped on her. Pseudo-betrayal because she couldn't blame Kaori for dying.

No one could blame Kaori for dying, anyway. She was a middle-schooler who knew what she had coming, so why not launch into a relationship with a pianist you haven't spent your entire live living next door to?

Tsubaki knew the jealousy would come eventually. Slamming her notebook shut with all the rage and fire of the apocalypse, she -

\- threw herself onto her bed and wept.

Wait, no. The crying was over, wasn't it? Wasn't her pillow soaked enough already?

Kaori's entire life looked like this:

I'm Kaori Miyazono, and I'm a violinist.

I'm also destined to die (by the way Kousei I love you and -

That was it. All Kaori had left behind for Tsubaki was an open phrase.


End file.
